The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Descent into the Plain of Granada

Descent into the Plain of Granada

1834
(Scottish, 1796–1864)
England, 19th century
watercolor with gouache, scratch-away, and graphite
Sheet: 23.2 x 32.5 cm (9 1/8 x 12 13/16 in.)
Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.563
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This drawing was reproduced as a wood engraving in Roscoe's first volume, The Tourist in Spain: Granada.

Description

Later celebrated for his topographical landscapes of the Middle East, David Roberts’s first extended trip abroad was in 1832 when he traveled through France to Spain over a period of 10 months. This watercolor records a scene from Roberts’s journey from Madrid to Andalusia. He described the trip in a letter to his sister: "I jogged on a considerable part of the way on foot, happy and contented. Granada is in the most beautiful situation that can be imagined. It lies at the foot of a ridge of high mountains, called the Sierra Nevada, or the Mountains of Snow." Replete with burdened mules, a lone figure on foot, and sun-drenched mountains with a view of Granada in the distance, this watercolor vividly illustrates the artist’s recollections.
  • 1912
    (sale, Victor G. Fischer Company Collection, Anderson Galleries, New York, February 19, 1912, no. 656)
    ?-1931
    James Parmelee [1855-1931], Washington, DC, by descent to Alice Maury Parmelee
    1931-1940
    Alice Maury Parmelee [1866-1940], Washington, DC, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH through the Estate of James Parmelee
    1940-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Roscoe, Thomas. The Tourist in Spain: Granada, Illustrated from Drawings by David Roberts. London: Robert Jennings, 1835. Mentioned: pp. 43-45; Reproduced: pl. 43 hdl.handle.net
    Francis, Henry S. "The Bequest of James Parmelee." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 28, no. 2 (February 1941): 15-27, 31. Mentioned: p. 17 www.jstor.org
    Lemonedes, Heather. British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Mentioned: pp. 76-77, 148, no. 24; Reproduced: p. 77
  • British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
    Nature Sublime: Landscapes from the 19th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 15-November 14, 2004).
    The Birth and Flowering of British Romantic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-July 22, 1990).
    Water Colors from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 23-September 16, 1973).
    European Watercolors Through the 18th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 14-March 22, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=Descent into the Plain of Granada|url=false|author=David Roberts|year=1834|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.563